Attractions & things to do for the kids in your life

VISITOR INFORMATION

Schedule / hours: 2017: February 18 to April 23! Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, and during March Break and Easter weekend (March 25-28). Otherwise, closed on Mondays, open 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday. Admission price: 2017: $10/person, or movie combo for $20/adults, $15/kids (valid for TIFF Kids programmes) Address: 350 King St W TorontoPhone: 416-599-8433Website: www.tiff.netNearby restaurants: You can get snacks at the Canteen at ground level and full concession by the movie theatresre While you are there: Note that the TIFF Kids Film Festival will be on April 8-24. FYI, the TIFF is just a few minutes away from the CN Tower. If your child has never seen it from up close, I recommend taking this opportunity to admire the tower from outside, and the giant fans at the balconies of the Rogers Centre.Age group: 4 - 16 years old

Playground for young tekkies

digiPlaySpace 2017 goes from February 18 to April 23!

Caugh up as I was by the ocean action of the short film The Blu, I dropped something on the floor. I quickly bent to catch it, forgotting that I was wearing a Samsung GearVR, and strongly hit my head on the desk in the process! Because you see, there was no desk in my virtual world. What I saw was a huge whale looking me in the eyes, and a shark sneaking over me, which made me scream. (I suddenly realized that very soon, horror movies will reach a whole new level.)

There's something for every age at the 5th edition of the digiPlaySpace event at the TIFF. While the two virtual reality experiences cut you out from the rest of the world (you will need to be 13 years + to try them), there are plenty of interactive activities to choose from. When I visited, families had a ball at LOLympics where the funny staff makes you take different poses in front of a large screen, to create an hilarious clip of you doing a sport of your choice (watch our little clip!). The Keylight large with green screen special effects that could make parts of you disappear was a big success for those who wanted to goof around (see the clip). Once they got the concept, unhibited kids would start to dance like crazy in front of the Elements screen (fun clip). I was personally impressed by the Flippaper station where you can draw a pinball game circuit on paper and have it read by a softwear which turns it into a virtual game you can actually play!

Technology doesn't come cheap! You know the price of an iPad (the exhibition starts with a station where you can try many cute apps). In case you were wondering how much cost the clever and colourful electronic gizmos by littleBits, featured in the Thymio Robot Playground, you'll find in the TIFF gift shop that they are $200 for 15 bits.